Movies and interviews from 8 July 2014

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier.

Judith: Jason:

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Rated M

Review by Judith Lucy

The beginning of DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES picks up 10 years after its critically acclaimed and popular predecessor, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. The Simian flu that was unleashed at the end of that film has now decimated the human race while the apes that disappeared into the Woods led by Caesar (another incredible performance from ANDY SERKIS) are thriving. A small band of humans led by Dreyfus (GARY OLDMAN) will only be able to survive if they harness the power of a dam deep in the apes' territory. So Malcolm (a good performance from Australian JASON CLARKE) his son, Alexander (KODI SMIT-MCPHEE) and partner Ellie (KERI RUSSELL) form part of a group that must negotiate with this now much more evolved animal society. Caesar remains a mature and benevolent leader who is still willing to reason with humans but there is deep mistrust on both sides particularly from Koba (TOBY KEBBELL) the bonobo who spent years being experimented on. Caesar slowly realizes that the apes are more similar to humans than he once thought and that there are good and bad on both sides but will those that want peace, such as he and Malcolm, triumph over the forces that would see the apes and humans descend into all out war?

This film is all about the apes. Caesar, Koba and Maurice (Karin Konoval) are just wonderful characters and are in many ways are lot more nuanced than their generally clichéd human counterparts. The scenes with Caesar and his family: wife Cornelia (Judy Greer), son Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston) and their newly born son are genuinely moving and the way the apes have developed their language skills from the last film, completely convincing. And boy, have we come a long way from Roddy McDowell in a monkey suit. It's no wonder that visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri has won four academy awards. He and his team at Weta Digital have done an amazing job as has production designer James Chinlund. The film is called 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' so you know where the story is heading but what a wonderful world to lose yourself in for two hours and could it be possible that thanks to Andy Serkis's performance, I have a crush on an ape?

Further comments

JUDITH: Were you attracted to any of the monkeys, Jason?

JASON: I didn't get into either set of characters in this.

JUDITH: Is that right?

JASON: The apes or the humans. The script is straight from how to write a blockbuster screenwriting course, I thought.

JUDITH: When it comes to the humans, I think so.

JASON: But even the apes, I couldn't withstand, for too much longer, that really staccato 'apes don't kill apes' way of talking that they have. I found that...

JUDITH: Well, they're not going to talk like Shakespeare.

JASON: No, but people talk about the nuances of the faces and all that and it didn't really help me along. I think, also, the film is really beautifully made in some ways but it's almost too pretty, too tasteful. None of the images really push the envelope. There's this point where Jason Clarke and Andy Serkis are forehead against forehead and you see the profile of their heads in close up and it's the kind of image we've seen before. Sportsmen do it often and it's like a tender image. It's there to represent...

JUDITH: But it is an ape and a person.

JASON: Well, it's interspecies solidarity or something. There I thought...

JUDITH: But there might be a chance, Jason.

JASON: What needed to happen, one of them needed to kiss the other in that moment, I think.

JUDITH: Well, I would have loved that.

JASON: Not BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN style but a peck on the cheek from the ape to the human, the human to the ape.

JUDITH: Could have gone down a very different path.

JASON: But do you know what I mean? I just felt the whole thing needed to push it.

JUDITH: I loved the world of the apes and I really loved the way they communicate and, I'm not kidding, if I saw Caesar in a singles bar, I'd have a crack.

JASON: I didn't warm to this at all. I'm only giving it two stars.

JUDITH: I'm giving it three and a half and it's only losing points because of the humans.

Comments (47)

Derek Palen :

12 Nov 2014 4:18:54pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[10]]I really don't go much for Blockbuster movies. An occasional masterpiece does makes it's way onto the blockbuster lists and this is an instant classic. Twice as good as the first film (which was fantastic), this film hits every note that is needed and at times lands on some very dark, primal and indeed bizarre and alien concepts and images. At times i thought I was watching a film about our primitive ancestors, or a film maybe about primitive tree dwelling aliens. Incredible CG, a great thrilling story and all in all, a perfect sequel (a very rare thing).

S :

21 Aug 2014 2:10:32pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]Wow. I don't know whether this Jason guy was asleep during this film or if he's just a pretentious little wannabe film critic, but I completely disagree with his assessment.I found Dawn to be a captivating story of 2 opposing forces who can't seem to co-exist peacefully. There were moments of intensity (usually involving Koba) where I was holding my breath waiting for the inevitable acts of violence and the real surprise was that I found myself wanting the apes to win. Also worth mentioning is the incredible use of cgi/motion capture.

paulski :

17 Aug 2014 7:27:29pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[7]]Very similar in tone (and content) to the previous movie, which actually hurts it a bit - there was a distinct feeling of 'sameness' to Dawn at times. Still, it looked great and most of the performances, with the exception of the cardboard cutout/cliched villains, were strong. Not quite as good as Rise, but a worthy continuation of the Apes storyline. A very disappointing review of the movie by the fill-in guy too. "Must try harder".

Adam :

31 Jul 2014 9:22:44am

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]My goodness me. Two stars for this film?

This film's breath taking on a technical level for the immersion of digital technology with motion capture of live actors making them feel truly alive. The script is smart and directed with intelligence especially for a big budget blockbuster film. Hugely impressive.

Judith Lucy gets better as a film reviewer but her frustratingly dour counterpart Jason Di Rossi seems to want every film to fulfill some specific agenda that fits his narrow view of what constitutes a worthwhile movie. Judith and this movie gets 4 stars. Jason gets 2. Go ape!

Fergie :

30 Jul 2014 10:07:11pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[9]]I thought this was entertaining movie and a great follow on to the ROTPA and a great lead into the next instalment. The way the apes are designed is awesome.Yes it was made in the blockbuster form but I think it worked and look forward very much so to the next production.

gio1978 :

29 Jul 2014 4:51:34pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[7]]I thought this was an enjoyable film overall. I felt that the disturbing sense of the apes taking over, as we got in the first film a few years ago, was lacking. While I understand there is more to come, I would have appreciated a darker look at what will inevitably happen. The apes enslave humans. But it was just an action adventure very similar to any other action adventure you see, in terms of themes. As i said, a very enjoyable film overall. Especially if you like good special effects.

Brenno :

28 Jul 2014 9:06:24pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[10]]I have to agree with Paul on 18 July - I think Jason has seen a different movie! Captivating, thought provoking and a great sequel. Ironically, examines so accurately the human condition.

LL :

27 Jul 2014 10:49:51pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]Well made, with its depressing message about the cause of war: mistrust, misunderstanding, fear, hate, violence, ego, anger, lack of forgiveness And they go on forever once started.

Jim :

25 Jul 2014 2:59:35pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[4]]Unlike the classic Planet of the Ape movies, this one had no moral center. Just a shoot-em-up war based on the accidental shooting of an ape by a moron. Lots of firepower, loud noises, cliche-ridden dialogue, and predictable plot lines. Character development? Please, give me a break. A nuance-free, unimaginative, hokey melodrama written for teen-age boys. Two stars for the grand scale of the special effects, but otherwise a waste of time and money.

Caroline :

24 Jul 2014 6:05:31am

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[9]]Even though I liked it there was too much action and not enough character development. Furthermore, it was difficult to enjoy the full experience because the cinematography was too dark. I preferred the prequel, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It was more interesting because I could see his development from a simian creature to a nearly human character.

Tony :

23 Jul 2014 12:50:07pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]This is a difficult motion-picture to review.Art, themes & business elements interact, to create a final product, etc.The point about gender roles is excellent, etc.('Sociology of Film', [book, c. 1961] highlights these cinema issues, though not from a perspective of film theory, etc.)

Jose :

22 Jul 2014 12:10:28pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[5]]Not what I expected. Great sci-fi technology. We have certainly come a long way from the apes of the original Planet of the Apes. But with so many cliches it becomes boring. Very good ape versus very bad ape. Very good human versus very bad human. Beautiful family of very good ape and beautiful family of very good human. Dusty old camcorder with tape in the right frame still running. Dusty old ipad with the right photographs still running. Final confrontation of very good ape versus very bad ape. Very good ape finally friend of very good human. Boring.

steph :

22 Jul 2014 3:37:21am

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[10]]This was an amazing movie - I find it strange that Jason requires humans and apes to kiss before he can give the movie a higher rating - strange. The ideology behind the movieis very similar to the book Animal Farm and I loved every moment of it. Ceasar was just amazing, the depth of his character just genius. I would definately pay to see this again!

Sapphic Twist :

21 Jul 2014 4:35:50am

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[2]]This had the feel of a script that was written to bridge Rise with the next episode--Ceasar as the tragic leader who abhors war but is left with no choice but to fight it, etc. The real agenda of the franchise, it seems to me, is to pull the audience into identifying with the the apes, and then turning the apes into sheeple--passive followers of whichever ape happens to be on top. In other words, pretty much the same subtext as everything else coming out of Superhero Hollywood...

Leigh :

20 Jul 2014 10:41:09pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]This is not only very entertaining for pretty much its entire duration, it's also involving, exciting and at times quite intense. Full credit to so many of the filmmakers on set for working hard to make the hard work pay off. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes look, feels and is an excellent action-adventure movie from beginning to end. Worth noting is the captivating opening in which we gain an understanding of life in the world of an Ape, to then flip sides for an equal understanding to the human race and the threat one another pose. Excellent film.

Zira :

19 Jul 2014 5:09:46pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[3]]As a female sci-fi fan I'm really disappointed by the complete lack of female characters in films like this, apart from those that are there to bear the sons of the male protagonists. Even Nova got more screen time in the original.

Amy :

18 Jul 2014 8:51:47pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[6]]All heil! the planet of the apes! Light- hearted entertainment @ its best.Makes for some wickedly amusing viewing.Such barbaric and steadfast characters, we all can't help but be moved.Loved how Jason, brought that touch of humour, to a already comical script. ill give it 3 banana's! lol :0)

Paul :

18 Jul 2014 1:05:27pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[10]]Jason and you other critics of this film must have seen another film. Rarely do you see a follow up film being better than its predecessor and this is just the case for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. From the Visual Effects, Plot, Characters, it was pure cinematic pleasure. Why do people need to find fault for the sake of finding fault? Yes everyone is entitled to their opinions however at the end of watching this film the audience I was with actually began clapping during the credits. That says it all for me!!!!

Mathew :

18 Jul 2014 12:07:17pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]Once again Jason misses the mark completely. It really seems like Jason guns to be one of those critics that hates blockbusters just for the sake of it. I'm going to lament the day M&D leave...

I'm loving this franchise, it's got a nice slow natural evolution to the development of the ape society that I really appreciate. The ape acting was amazingly well done, it's just a shame that the main human actor wasn't someone with a bit more range, he felt a bit too wooden at times. It's one of those well made blockbusters that shouldn't be missed.

Mitch :

17 Jul 2014 8:02:57pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[5]]Agree with Jason, but laughed at Judith's review. I thought the film was going to be something truly exceptional from the stealthily silent opening. But then we meet the cowardly hick bad guy and the wide-eyed perfect, American family. And I'm a tad over the "It's all about my child" motivations in films. I do prefer perspective.

Love watching these two talk film - I'd be happy if they had their own show - or if they stuck around when D&M returned and all four of them reviewed together.

Brad :

17 Jul 2014 11:55:33am

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]A great movie very entertaining. Had a little more than your average pop corn film. This new Planet Of The Apes franchise is working well and cant wait for the next instalment hopefully it continues .

Disappointing review from Jason I expected Judith to hate this not him.

Brett :

Daniel Spicer :

16 Jul 2014 7:23:08pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[6]]I ended up being mostly unimpressed with this sci-fi flick. Although I understood that, after the last one, the filmmakers were forced to take the series in a shitty direction, I didn't realise things would be this average. The story is seriously underwhelming, with a simple tale that doesn't do the legacy justice. The ideas that govern the story, the twists and turns, are weak and uninspired, and even though I was intrigued the whole way through, that was only because I was waiting for something great to happen. I was let down.

Gordon :

16 Jul 2014 4:34:45pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]Some fine filmmaking right here. Not even Avatar managed to involve me and move me through its state-of-the-art performance capture the way this movie did, and it's all in Andy Serkis' performance. The guy blew my socks off. Caesar is a totally fictional creation brought to life here with a level of humanity and empathy you wouldn't think is possible through a CGI chimpanzee. It's a fable, almost a Greek tragedy, about war, trust, family and humanity.

Leanne :

16 Jul 2014 11:57:07am

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]Best movie so far this year. The apes were definately the stars here, and the images nothing less than amazing. I thought Judith's review and comments were spot on (including having a crush on Ceasar) but couldn't relate to Jason's. Thoroughly enjoyed this movie (the 2 hours or so flew by) and anticipating the next instalment.

Brent :

15 Jul 2014 10:31:50pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]When i first looked at this review i thought how could David give this movie two stars.2 stars! This film needs to be re-reviewed by David and Margaret without the garbage dialogue these two provided. Probably the best Sci-fi of the year. This movie is one of the very rare blockbuster style movies that actually work. It is very hard to ramp up from the first movie into a large-scale war style movie. And yet they achieved it. I have never reviewed a movie on here before- Jason made me do it!

Jacob :

Stevo :

15 Jul 2014 5:24:29pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[6]]The CGI apes are terrific but unfortunately the story falls into cliche & it dragged on & on a bit towards the end.And predictably the film has been left open for a sequel.Entertaining enough though & a great, fun holiday movie.

Alaisdair :

Skeeter :

12 Jul 2014 11:19:37pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[3]]I was so excited and I loved the first one, which is why this installment was so dissapointing. It was just apes with guns. Thats all... I was waiting for Bruce Willis to role through the frame. And for that reason it was half an hour too long.

I saw a great quote on Rotten Tomatos along the lines of: "when you're as good as Weta: story really does matter".

JohnB :

12 Jul 2014 4:03:53pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[2]]And they failed the how to write a blockbuster course....Right, the comments funnier... You mean read between some of these lines?... Love the perennial Judith and this Jason.One star for the ape lookalikes.

UltimateG :

12 Jul 2014 10:27:14am

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]This insightful (not) review reminds me of the scene in This Is The End:

craig: you just in town, visiting?jay: just for a little, i try to not come here very much, i don't love itemma: you don't like LA?jay: not really into the LA lifestylecraig: what lifestyle are you into?emma: he's a hipster, right?jay: i'm not a hipstercraig: you do seem to hate a lot of things. jay: no, i just don't like los angeles, that's allcraig: i bet you hate movies that are universally loved, you like Forrest Gump?jay: no, no that's a horrendous piece of ****

Hagen :

11 Jul 2014 10:26:34pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[10]]Jason's take on this movie was very hard to read... His opinion is so far removed from the even the harshest critics that i wonder what frame of mind he took to the cinema?? This apes movie is roundly being lauded by critcs from esteemed outlets all over the planet as a very smart, engaging and great sci-fi flick. I loved it and so did my partner (who is definately not a fan of sci-fi)... I will see it again 5 stars!! Jason, dont take yourself so seriously... You spoil it for the rest of us!

scott ferguson :

11 Jul 2014 6:36:39pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]Truly Jason, you were ready to hate this film before the first frames rolled. Two stars? Really? The cinematography alone was worth four stars. Yes there were no subtitles, yes there was no crippled schoolteacher named Sven and the refugee pastry chef who taught him how to love again, but my God it was entertaining

Meher Baba :

11 Jul 2014 4:51:10pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[6]]Is there a wage difference between " I'm a TV personality" and "I'm a professional film critic with decades of commitment?" This is an engaging, attractive, emotive, and fully realised filmI really appreciated it

Jonathon :

11 Jul 2014 4:21:26pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[6]]This film is vastly superior to the previous two that were made. The performance as Caeser by Anthony Serkis was very good while Gary Oldman as Dreyfus and Jason Clarke as Malcolm are good in their roles. Toby Kebbell is good as the evil Koba.The scenery was nice. The film is a bit long at 2 hours.

Omar Hassan Shamiir :

DvD :

09 Jul 2014 7:00:07pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]I agree with Skibble. Jason really needs to get over himself, everyone is entitled to their opinion but it seems that he likes to critic movies that are universally well received and finds reasons no matter how small to bash it. You want the human and ape to kiss because you think that one great scene of the ape and human hugging wasn't 'pushing it enough'...really.The film was beautifully made, the forest looked amazing as I would picture it would be if mankind wasn't there to pollute it. Andy Serkis was great as per usual definitely a must watch.

harry georgatos :

09 Jul 2014 5:11:00pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[8]]I think this Jason guy has a huge chip on his shoulder. This is a top sci-fi film with the ape in man and man in ape. How did Jason expect these apes to talk? Did him expect them to talk like rocket scientists and philosophers?

Skibble :

08 Jul 2014 11:28:55pm

((Dawn of the Planet of the Apes))[[9]]That Jason fellow needs to get over himself. "I don't want to talk down to children...", then proceeds to talk down to children. Obviously this film went straight over his head. These types of critics who look for things that aren't there in films are frustrating. Andy Serkis is a master craftsman and this reboot deserves respect and regard. I miss Margaret and David already - but thought Judith Lucy was great, though. Down with snobbery, and here's to unpretentious and heartfelt appreciation of a wide range of film.